Well, That's a Relief
22 Jul 2021User319792
"Hey does that guy really think we're sisters?"Coral looked at me and I looked away from the pre-recorded holofac of the man in the black suit's Imperial diplomatic contact in Achenar. It wouldn't be the first time people assumed we were sisters over the 4-5 years that we've been working with the man in the black suit. Coral says pilots in Cubeo still call her by my name every now and again, which is probably my fault, and they still look over at me when I stop in and whisper things about me dragging a mannequin of myself across Chelomey's flight deck.
"Well, he did say 'you and your lovely sister'."
Coral looked away from me and squinted at her desk. She fiddled with something just below the holofac sensors and looked back at me.
"Should we correct him? The last time we let something think something about us, dad got reamed by the people up-top and made you berth your Imperial ships in Achenar and made a deal with the guy for you be barred from taking Imperial missions anywhere else without sanction."
I laughed at the memory. It must have taken a lot for the man in the black suit not to kowtow to the Imperial pressure and put me and my ships in Achenar rather than stripping me of my Pilot's license and sending me back to Cubeo 3. The diplomat seemed pleased with the situation and I know it wouldn't be a coincidence that his reassignment coincided with our invitation.
"I don't think it'll matter. We look enough alike that we'd pass for blood relatives."
"That's what dad had in mind."
I glanced over at Coral. It hadn't occurred to me that our resemblance might have been planned. I know Coral had been taken in from a research academy somewhere deep in Sirius-controlled space, but she and the man in the black suit were as well-acquainted as he and I were by the time she hopped aboard 10-cent Pistol with Callie for our first set of mutual ride-alongs.
"Is it?"
Her eyes slowly widened and she leaned back, raising her hands slowly into the frame of the holofac sensor.
"Isn't it?"
I squinted at her and my eyes shot left and right through my squinted eyelids before I responded.
"Did... did you just say that the man in the black suit intentionally recruited us because we look alike, like it was a fact, without actually knowing it? Did you two talk about it before or something?"
She snorted when I referred to him by my nickname for him. Of course we know his name. She still calls him dad. It bothered me that she'd just say something like that. He's a devil by trade, but he's never been particularly sneaky around me. Even when he freed me from the woman, he was completely upfront with my father. I know he'd spent some time with Coral alone during trainings, but so did I and, even if we're all relatively secretive about what goes on in our private conversations, I don't think he'd keep something like that from me.
"Well, it all stands to reason, right? Think about it, Cadence."
"Is this something you know, Coral?"
Coral looked at me, wide-eyed and speechless. She looked away.
"Well, no. But, think about it. You're training with him and he sees me in a classroom and a few days later he comes back with a recruitment offer. I'm sure he had something in mind."
I squinted at her again. I suppose the man in the black suit might have noticed the resemblance, but we don't look that much alike. I've got a jawline you can cut a diamond on and Coral's got these plump little squirrel cheeks. I looked away from her before moving on.
"Right... we should probably talk to the man in the black suit about it."
"Are you gonna take up the diplo on his offer to relocate?"
"To Facece?"
"Yeah."
"Pfffft. Nope. It's bad enough that I'm buried in the heart of the Empire. Besides, are you even allowed to be in Imperial Navy headquarters?"
"I am not."
"So why would I take him up on that? He's probably got some weird plans having to do with us being twins and being able to switch us out with one another in order to advance his Imperial agenda. He didn't say we were con-"
The man in the black suit popped up on our holofac with a smile on his face. He'd just received word of the invitation from the diplomat. Coral looked at him and squinted.
"He thinks we're sisters and wants me to join Cadence in Facece."
The man in the black suit looked at Coral and grinned. He turned to me and lifted a sheet of paper to his eyes before putting it back down onto his desk.
"You'll remain in Achenar for the remainder of your Imperial work, Cadence. Coral, just keep doing what... what are you doing, right now, Coral?"
Coral looked at the man in the black suit and shrugged.
"So we're just going to ignore the Imperial request?"
"Its not an Imperial request, Cadence. I've spoken to him and he was pleased with your progress and wanted to parade you around the Imperial Navy as his newest Imperial Navy escort so I went over his head and made contact with another diplomat there that's fine with you remaining in Achenar for contract work. You may end up in Marlinist space, by the way."
I looked away from him. It was good to know I wouldn't have to fly the guy around in my Imperial ships like some conquered concubine but I couldn't shake the other thing. I looked over at Coral, our eyes locked, when I asked the question.
"Ok. So the invitation says 'You and your sister Coral Nain'. Did you intentionally recruit Coral because she looked like me?"
We both turned to the man in the black suit, who looked back and forth between the two of us, unemotional and slightly puzzled.
"Cadence, Coral's a genius. She was in the school because her biological parents were geniuses. I recruited Coral because she's a genius of good stock and because I was tasked with recruiting her..." He paused, looking down at his desk. "... but yes. Of course we recruited her because she looks like you, Cadence. Don't you remember Callie and Clara?"